Headline Of The Week Weak
Filed under: Headline of the Week
"Four states adopt 'no-smiles' policy for driver's licenses"
Now they don't even want us to smile! CLICK HERE to read the article accompanying this headline.
Four states adopt 'no-smiles' policy for driver's licenses
Stopping driver's license fraud is no laughing matter: Four states are ordering people to wipe the grins off their faces in their license photos.
"Neutral facial expressions" are required at departments of motor vehicles (DMVs) in Arkansas, Indiana, Nevada and Virginia. That means you can't smile, or smile very much. Other states may follow.
The serious poses are urged by DMVs that have installed high-tech software that compares a new license photo with others that have already been shot. When a new photo seems to match an existing one, the software sends alarms that someone may be trying to assume another driver's identity.
But there's a wrinkle in the technology: a person's grin. Face-recognition software can fail to match two photos of the same person if facial expressions differ in each photo, says Carnegie Mellon University robotics professor Takeo Kanade.
Dull expressions "make the comparison process more accurate," says Karen Chappell, deputy commissioner of the Virginia DMV, whose no-smile policy took effect in March.
Elaine Mullen of Great Falls, Va., bristled at the policy while renewing her license until she heard the reasoning. "It's probably safer from a national-security point of view," she says.
Arkansas, Indiana and Nevada allow slight smiles. "You just can't grin really large," Arkansas driver services chief Tonie Shields says.
A total of 31 states do computerized matching of driver's license photos and three others are considering it, says the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. Most say their software matches faces regardless of expressions. "People can smile here in Pennsylvania," state Transportation Department spokesman Craig Yetter says.
In Illinois, photo matching has stopped 6,000 people from getting fraudulent licenses since the technology was launched in 1999, says Beth Langen, the state head of Drivers Services.
You make it sound like it's a bad thing with the headline. It's for face recognition and most countries in the world have the same law for driving licenses and passports.
It's no big deal, just keeping up with technology, finally.
In ind we're not allowed to show out teeth. so f'ed up. i need to change the address on my dl, but i swear i'm holding off till my current one expires, cuz it's cute enough BECAUSE i could smile a year ago. i'm not gonna not smile…. wtf????
How CHEESEy!
jesus christ who cares…
Same here in Montreal, Québec Canada ! No glasses and NO smilling…
no one feels like smiling at the dmv anyways..
They're doing police style mug shots.
although normalizing this appearance may make it hard to sort out the pedophiles
It figures Virginia would be one of them, that state is fucked up and their laws suck ass.
We'll all have to learn Tyra's "smile with your eyes" technique.
I live in VA, and I heard this today.
Same in British Columbia. Your license photo is just like your passport photo. No glasses, no smiles, and black & white.
Some of the commenters on this site are retarded.
Amylynn & Cherry Blossom, since you failed to read or comprehend the point of the article, you should have your licenses revoked because you're too stupid to drive. Read before you post sweeties!
I just got a new license this morning, and they told me not to smile, or open my mouth. This is in VA.
Umm ya here in Canada you cant smile for your passport photo, sucks cause your photo ends up looking like a prison mug shot, so this is pretty much old news to the rest of the world
It's to match the unsmiling mugshot when you get booked for drunk driving. lol Seriously, you won't be smiling when they pull you over…easier to match person to driver's license. hahaha
Re: gaylove – FUCK YOU
BIG WOW. Here in the UK we have to have a neutral face on EVERYTHING. I look like a convict on mine, but it's easier for identification.
DUMB! Too bad my brother lives in INDIANA! I hate that place!
We have that here too, and when we asked why they told us becasue if you die and police have to identify you, you wont be smiling..So you cant smile in ur drivers licences pic becasue it will make it easier to identify you
I'm in B.C. I just renewed my license in February, I wasn't allowed to smile, but I kept my glasses on.
Oops, posted too soon, Jeanmarie & Venezuelanmami you are also retarded. Please read before you post.
Re: amylynn – who the fuck cares if you smile or not? it's a freaking driving license, you're not gonna enter a smiling competition. grow up already.
It's been like that in Canada since February of last year!
.
I went on my 21 birthday and they were like "no smiling" so I replied with "I can't help it I'm a naturally happy person."
.
They took 4 or 5 pics before one was acceptable. Not to mention I had to push my side bangs off my face so you could see both my eye brows.
.
LAME
.
But soon it will be everywhere. It's because the new licenses are usedfor crossing borders without needing a passport. It has all the goods in it including a hologram of your face!
.
Yeah Canada
they said it makes it easier to scan criminal records for facial recognition if the person's not smiling on their ID. if safety has to come before vanity i'll take it anyday…some people just make too big a deal over stupid stuff.
Look people, if you read the whole damn thing instead of being worried about your vanity, you would see that it is set up to keep your identity from being stolen. It's an ID, not a family photo to hang on your wall!
All of you guys are idiots. The reason why they don't want you to smile, or show teeth is because a smile alters your facial expression, hence change the way you look. They want you to look exactly as you do..DUH! Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out. IDIOTS! I work in the hurting state of VA too and they made us do this for our work badge ID card.
I've lived in Las Vegas Nevada for 36 years and it has always been, "no smiling allowed on drivers licences" so what!!!!
Wwe already have such a law regarding passports. There are bigger issues to deal with than whether we are allowed to smile on drivers licenses.
In California, you can't wear your glasses. And, I'm not talking about sun glasses or fashionista glasses. I'm talking about regular, normal, I-wear-these-all-the-time-and-my-license-says-so glasses. Which is retarded. Because now I look nothing like my license picture.
That's kinda fascist.
So how is this gooing to work with the Muslim weirdo's that demand to wear their dirty chador's when their picture is taken???? Oh wait, all the states have refused to allow them to do that! ROTFLAMO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How bizarre. I am in Illinois and have gotten two photos for licenses, both with smiles (big smiles)
I live in Indiana and the general rule of thumb is that you're not allowed to show your teeth, oh and you're also not allowed to wear glasses in your picture either.
are you kidding? they want us to limit ourselves? im smiling. what if thats how my face naturally looks? they cant tell me what to do?!?!!
Yeah.. I'm in Indiana and even though it says they allow slight smiles– that's changed in the 3 years I've been here. Now they won't let you smile AND you must take your glasses off- even if you have to wear them to drive/see. It's asinine on the second count because if you DO get pulled over- you'll have your glasses on!
This shiz is bananas. Seriously. For you 12 year olds who don't get it and are bitching- just wait.
Smile with your eyes..B*tches! That's what Tyra would say
it's a good idea. except, i don't look good when i have a neutral face. i actually look stoned, as a matter of fact.
Whatever! To al those that agree with this article. This is just a little more of your Freedom being stripped away! God, what's next!
Re: LizardKinG –
U should.
Next week Ur simple ass might not be able to say Jesus Christ without written consent from the church. Small freedoms mean everything.
And to shasss—this is not the rest of the world and the fact that we should be happy that a satellite orbiting the earth will be able to distinguish my features is almost worse than racial profiling. I look exactly like my mom who died 10 yrs ago…will I be recognized as me or her? What about twins or triplets? Sometimes it's good to be annoymous even if you have nothing to hide.
The real question is: Since the rest of the world has it, why can't they find Bin Laden? Wouldn't that be something they used it for?
So Smile on!!!! This is Cali…not one of those red-neck states. People pay too mcuh to have their lips and faces done to not use them!
Re: LizardKinG –
U should.
Next week Ur simple ass might not be able to say Jesus Christ without written consent from the church. Small freedoms mean everything.
And to shasss—this is not the rest of the world and the fact that we should be happy that a satellite orbiting the earth will be able to distinguish my features is almost worse than racial profiling. I look exactly like my mom who died 10 yrs ago…will I be recognized as me or her? What about twins or triplets? Sometimes it's good to be annoymous even if you have nothing to hide.
The real question is: Since the rest of the world has it, why can't they find Bin Laden? Wouldn't that be something they used it for?
So Smile on!!!! This is Cali…not one of those red-neck states. People pay too much to have their lips and faces done to not use them!
who smiles for ID photos anyway??
Gotta love Pennsylvania. I'm glad I can smile all I want for my pictures.
I live in Ontario Canada, and just renewed my drivers license and I wasn't allowed to smile. It took 3 tries to get a picture the computer would accept. These things are getting as bad as passports. Its a freakin drivers license, jeesh.
Re: Big City Dreams – exact same for me in Ontario. Not sure what part of Canada you are in. It took me 3 tries to get a pic they would accept. Ridiculous!
That's all bullshit. In Virginia you can smile, at least in the 7 cities DMV.
This report isn't completely accurate actually…Nevada DMV released a statement in the local news denying this.
i just got my license renewed in Indiana and they tell you that you can smile you are just not allowed to show any teeth.
I tried to not smile at the DMV here in California and they MADE me smile. I know I'm not going to be smiling when I get rolled by the 5-0.
Re: sterlinglyons – lmao that is too funny, and so true.
What puzzles me is why the reps chose frowns over grins… If all the pictures have a smiling person, wouldn't that also solve the problem?
The Joker is bummed, I heard.
Oh for fk's sake…